Japanese with Manga

Better to do light stretches before swimming with 〜た＋方がいい

Grammar Explanation: Giving advice with 〜た＋方がいい

Manga panel from ご注文はうさぎですか？ showing example of Better to do light stretches before swimming with 〜た＋方がいい.
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Syaro gives a suggestion before everyone goes swimming.

シャロ:
「泳(およ)ぐなら念(ねん)のため軽(かる)くストレッチした方(ほう)がいいと思(おも)うの」
“If you're going to swim, I think you had better do some light stretching just in case.”
Literal: “If you're going to swim, I think the direction of having done light stretching is good, just in case.”

Key Points

1ストレッチした方(ほう)がいい gives advice
  • Syaro recommends stretching before swimming; she does not compare two literal directions.
2The past form appears before 方(ほう)がいい
  • する becomes した, but the recommendation concerns what the listeners should do next.
3と思(おも)うの softens the recommendation
  • と思(おも)う frames the advice as Syaro’s judgment, and 念(ねん)のため gives the precautionary reason.

See Also

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